| Introduction: Breastfeeding counseling and mother support provision positively affect the duration of exclusive
eding and infant growth and development. This study aimed to determine the effect of prenatal counseling on the
frequency of exclusive breastfeeding and infant weight gain in mothers with previous unsuccessful breastfeeding.
ds: This was a randomized clinical trial on 108 pregnant women who visited the healthcare centers in Tabriz-Iran
vember 2017 to May 2018. Participants were randomly allocated either to an intervention or a control group. The
on group received four breastfeeding counseling sessions in the third trimester, whereas the control group merely
outine care. Counseling was offered to mothers until the day 15, 2 months and the end of the month 4 postpartum
experiencing any problem. A researcher-made breastfeeding performance checklist was completed by the groups
on three occasions (P<0.05 considered as the significance level).
The frequency of exclusive breastfeeding in the intervention group was 75.9%, 72.2%, and 72.2% on day 15, and
2 and 4 months postpartum, respectively. It was 31.5%, 16.7%, and 16.7% in the control group, respectively. The
ty of exclusive breastfeeding on day 15, month 2, and month 4 was significantly higher in the intervention group.
mean infant weight on day 15 postpartum was significant in the intervention group (mean difference=112.2; 95%
e interval=29.8-194.5; P=0.008). No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms
of infant weight gain in months 2 (P=0.221) and 4 (P=0.128) postpartum.
: The results of the study showed that pregnancy counseling increases the frequency of exclusive breastfeeding in
mothers.
Key words: exclusive breastfeeding, weight gain, infant, counseling |